With the 2026 PSLE Oral examinations set to take place on 12 – 13 August (Wed – Thurs), now is the perfect time to start your child’s preparations and build their speaking confidence.
On this page, both parents and students will find handy resources to help support their PSLE learning experience. This includes a compilation of past-year papers going back to 2015, the latest changes to the syllabus, and what that means for your child, as well as a study guide on how to strategise for different components of the oral exam.
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Day 1: Photo of people queuing outside a shopping mall for an ice cream stall.
Stimulus-Based Conversation
Day 2: A picture of a hawker centre with people dining
Stimulus-Based Conversation
Day 1: Poster on the opening of a park.
Stimulus-Based Conversation
Day 2: Picture showing a poster of appreciation activities to sign up for.
Stimulus-Based Conversation
Day 1: Poster on a science exhibition at the science centre.
Stimulus-Based Conversation
Day 2: Picture showing a girl writing in her diary, with a slice of cake, a birthday card, a soft toy, and her family photo on her table.
Stimulus-Based Conversation
Day 1: Poster on recycling old sports shoes.
Stimulus-Based Conversation
Day 2: Picture showing a boy playing games on his tablet at 3.30 PM, with his timetable stating he should be doing homework at this time.
Stimulus-Based Conversation
Day 1: Picture showing a girl fast asleep at 6 AM, with her alarm clock ringing and a note reminding her of her competition at 6 AM.
Stimulus-Based Conversation
Day 2: Poster on a talk on how to take good care of pets.
Stimulus-Based Conversation
Day 1: Poster inviting residents to a party to get to know their neighbours.
Stimulus-Based Conversation
Day 2: Ticket to a school’s graduation concert.
Stimulus-Based Conversation
Day 1: Picture of a bookshelf in a library, with some book recommendations.
Stimulus-Based Conversation
Day 2: Poster pasted on the door of a computer lab, reminding students of what they need to do before leaving the lab.
Stimulus-Based Conversation
Day 1: Banner of a secondary school, calling for primary school students to join them.
Stimulus-Based Conversation
Day 2: Poster calling for students to sign up for a speech contest.
Stimulus-Based Conversation
Day 1: Poster calling for submission of poems for Teachers’ Day.
Stimulus-Based Conversation
Day 2: Poster on Cleanest Classroom Contest.
Stimulus-Based Conversation
Day 1: Poster calling for nominations for the Supportive Friend Award.
Stimulus-Based Conversation
Day 2: Poster on Junior Baking Fun, a baking activity.
Stimulus-Based Conversation
Day 1: Poster on Spin-A-Tale Sundays, a reading activity.
Stimulus-Based Conversation
Day 2: Poster of a school’s fun run, a family activity.
Stimulus-Based Conversation
Since 2025, the PSLE English exam has seen a redistribution of marks, increasing the weightage of the oral exam from 15% to 20% and the overall marks from 30 to 40 marks.
The Reading Aloud portion of the oral examination now carries 15 marks, up from 10 marks in previous years, while the Stimulus-Based Conversation component of the oral exam now constitutes 25 marks, increasing from past-year papers’ 20 marks.
Additionally, the Reading Aloud and Stimulus-Based Conversation (SBC) components of the oral exam may now be entirely unrelated.
Previously, both components were based on the same theme, giving students more time to think about related topics. However, from 2025 onwards, the SBC component has pivoted away from using event or product posters, instead favouring photographs of real-life scenarios, such as a birthday party or a family trip.
There are two components of the PSLE oral exam: Reading Aloud and Stimulus-Based Conversation1.
This component requires students to read aloud from a given passage, ranging from personal narratives to school announcements.
The assessment objectives in this component include evaluating students’ pronunciation, punctuation, delivery, pace, expressiveness, and volume.
This portion of the paper requires students to answer exam questions about a given picture, which most likely depicts realistic themes, such as a birthday party or a festival celebration.
Every student will be assessed based on their personal responses to the picture, including their self-expression skills, vocabulary range, coherence, and grammar.
Studying for the PSLE English oral exam may not be as straightforward as other papers, as frequent practice and constructive feedback are crucial for improving students’ speaking confidence. Here are some handy tips and strategies to keep in mind for each component and different question types in the oral exam.
To score well in the Reading Aloud portion, students must ensure their speech is clear, accurate, expressive, and well-paced. The following strategies can help students excel in this component:
To excel in the Stimulus-Based Conversation component, students must show responsiveness, flexibility in thinking, and confidence in their speech. Here are some strategies that can support students in this conversational component.
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Reserve a spot in our free trial class at your nearest PSLE tuition centre and get the opportunity to experience our research-backed teaching methods and environment firsthand!
